Why would you rest Bairstow when he is decent against spin?

Cause he's gash against pace and India is no longer a purely a spinners paradise.

Curran and Wood retaining their places for the second test makes sense now if they're missing this series.

Burns back in for Bairstow then with Crawley back to 3. Stokes in for one of the seamers to allow for 2 spinners, 2 seamers and Stokes.

Lawrence and Pope to battle it out to bat at 6.

Buttler is also only playing the first test so will be good to see Foakes get some game time

comment by (K̇ash) I'm the Mané - PL Champio... (U1108)
posted 1 hour, 11 minutes ago
Why would you rest Bairstow when he is decent against spin?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes they have pace but at home and against England it will be Ashwin, Jadeja plus another who start against England. Get ready for some bunsen burners.

do well to avoid a whitewash

Wasn't aware England were going to India next month, this should be an intriguing series.

I expect us to get battered.

comment by (K̇ash) I'm the Mané - PL Champione (U1108)
posted 8 hours, 3 minutes ago
comment by (K̇ash) I'm the Mané - PL Champio... (U1108)
posted 1 hour, 11 minutes ago
Why would you rest Bairstow when he is decent against spin?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes they have pace but at home and against England it will be Ashwin, Jadeja plus another who start against England. Get ready for some bunsen burners.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Jadeja out with injury for the first few tests. Suspect (and hope) it will be Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav.

0 wickets for Leach & Bess in 140 overs of cricket.... Moeen Ali needs a recall

Stokes and burns had good reason to miss sri lanka but not going to india with your best side is bonkers. Don't play test matches after India until August. What is the point butler going for 1 test? Bairstow gets his place back at 3 and rested. Wtf?

comment by A14... ( ليدز_يونايتد )You gotta love it!! (U2805)
posted 1 day, 7 hours ago
0 wickets for Leach & Bess in 140 overs of cricket.... Moeen Ali needs a recall
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He did get a recall. I sense he probably would have batted at 7 and played with Bess and Leach for this series had he not got covid.

Every chance he could be the lone spinner in India unless the other two improve.

Is this going to be on Sky sports?

comment by Snooker_49 (U10665)
posted 14 minutes ago
Is this going to be on Sky sports?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Channel 5 have bought the rights to show it in full

comment by (K̇ash) I'm the Mané - PL Champio... (U1108)
posted 17 minutes ago
comment by Snooker_49 (U10665)
posted 14 minutes ago
Is this going to be on Sky sports?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Channel 5 have bought the rights to show it in full
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow really? Seems weird terrestrial tv showing an England away series. I have no idea when that last happened.

Good news for quite a lot of cricket fans, surely.

It's on a streaming service. Disney.

There is heavy speculation that Channel 4 will show the Tests, which would be surprising but great. We might know for sure tomorrow.

Yeah looking like channel 4

Sky have bottled it

Looks like the Dave channel have bought the rights to show the highlights

comment by (K̇ash) I'm the Mané - PL Champio... (U1108)
posted 26 minutes ago
Looks like the Dave channel have bought the rights to show the highlights
----------------------------------------------------------------------

comment by Bennythedip - Living The Dream (U9359)
posted 1 week, 3 days ago
Stokes and burns had good reason to miss sri lanka but not going to india with your best side is bonkers. Don't play test matches after India until August. What is the point butler going for 1 test? Bairstow gets his place back at 3 and rested. Wtf?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bairstow didn't actually do great vs Sri Lanka, and was only playing because Burns, Stokes and Pope were all unavailable. Of the available options who could bat at 3, he was the best bet considering he has some experience playing in Asia and is relatively good against spin. I'm delighted he's dropping out again, I can do without the notifications popping up on my phone showing "Bairstow b Bumrah 4" every innings.

Burns
Sibley
Crawley
Root
Stokes
Lawrence/Pope

That should be the top 6, both for this series and every series when they're all available. It's comfortably our best side. The only "shame" is that Buttler, who's ground his way into good form, has to miss out after the first test - bit of a weird one - but Ben Foakes is a top keeper and he did well in Asia previously, albeit against lesser opposition.

Channel 4 have confirmed they've got the rights.

Cricket back on FTA will be so good for the game.

comment by The Welsh Xavi (U15412)
posted 4 minutes ago
Channel 4 have confirmed they've got the rights.

Cricket back on FTA will be so good for the game.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Genuinely chuffed to bits about this. Couldn't have come at a better time, considering Sky have axed their (terrible) Sky Sports Android app and the Now TV app I've been forced to download instead needs me to pay a facking subscription to watch any live TV.

Fack Sky.

Only downside is of all the tours to be pick, it's the one where we're likely going to get pumped